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Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise | "Caged Bird"

In this video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, students analyze an excerpt of the poem Caged Bird. Through discussion questions and a short activity, students analyze the poem by doing a close read of the text and examine the literary techniques used.

In this activity, students will analyze the Maya Angelou poem Caged Bird using video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. Students conduct a close read of the excerpted text to further assess its meaning and the literary techniques Angelou used in the poem. In the Culminating Activity, students write their own poem using the same literary techniques present in the Caged Bird poem.

Introduction

Tell students to watch the Caged Bird video and answer the associated discussion questions. Encourage students to watch the video multiple times to answer the discussion questions.

Activity

Then distribute the Caged Bird Poem handout. Tell students this poem is an excerpt from the original. The excerpted text is as follows:

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his feet are tied

his wings are clipped

so he opens his throat to sing.

Ask students to watch the video again and follow along with the text in the handout. Instruct students to read the excerpted text and describe, in their own words, its meaning line-by-line. Then tell students to answer the culminating discussion questions. Encourage students to share their line-by-line summaries and discussion questions responses with the class.

Culminating Activity

Tell students to write a poem that utilizes the same literary techniques they identified in Caged Bird. Ask students to recite their poem for the class and be prepared to describe how it’s influenced by Caged Bird.